Red Cross Workers Attacked in Congo While Tackling Deadly Ebola Outbreak

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement has voiced deep concern after six humanitarian workers were injured in a series of attacks while attempting to tackle the deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

“Attacks against volunteers and humanitarian personnel are unacceptable,” the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement stressed in a joint statement with the DRC and Uganda Red Cross Societies.

The series of violent incidents occurred in succession over the course of a week. On 17 August, a Uganda Red Cross convoy assisting with the Ebola response was attacked in Ituri Province, the epicentre of the outbreak. The incident left one person seriously injured and two ambulances pelted with stones and damaged.

A day later, on 18 August, two volunteers were injured while attempting to bury a victim’s body in Haut-Uele Province. Both had to be evacuated for medical treatment, while two operational vehicles were damaged. Then on Wednesday, three volunteers were attacked and injured in Beni, North Kivu Province, where various Ebola response equipment was also destroyed.

The Red Cross stressed that these incidents serve as a worrying reminder of the significant risks faced by humanitarian workers in the field.

“Respect for humanitarian personnel and humanitarian activities is essential to ensure that communities affected by epidemics and other crises continue to receive the assistance and services they desperately need,” the statement read.

“Every injured staff member and every damaged ambulance, vehicle or piece of equipment reduces the capacity to provide emergency health and humanitarian services. This places more lives at risk and makes the epidemic increasingly difficult to control.”

Overall, 12 volunteers have been injured, a number of ambulances damaged, and various emergency response equipment destroyed in 11 violent incidents since the Ebola outbreak was officially declared on 15 May.

The outbreak has struck the northern and eastern regions of Congo, which lack adequate health infrastructure and have been marked by decades of armed conflict. Tensions with local residents are often triggered by the handling of Ebola victims’ bodies. Burial procedures must be strictly supervised because the virus can be transmitted through contact with bodily fluids, meaning corpses remain a potential source of transmission.

The outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo species, is the largest in DRC history, with no vaccine or specific treatment yet available for this strain. According to World Health Organization (WHO) data, 2,557 deaths have been recorded from 5,375 confirmed cases in the country.

Responding to the worsening situation, the WHO has urged the DRC government to implement social distancing measures to curb transmission. The organisation has also called for reduced bureaucracy for the entry of international health teams and medical supplies.

In addition, the WHO has urged local authorities to implement health checks at traffic points in affected areas, and to restrict motorcycle use to a single passenger.